hello and welcome to world news today. the top stories: will they or wont they — conflicting signals on whether catalans will declare independence this week, amid protests from those who say no to independence and want spanish unity. we love catalu nya. we love catalunya. we love spain and spain isjust one. jong—un strengthens his grip on power and promotes his younger sister within the ruling workers‘ party . the us vice—president, mike pence, walks out of an american football game because some players knelt down during the national anthem. both loved and loathed — 50 years since the death of marxist hello and welcome to world news

today. it's not clear whether catalonia will go ahead with a full declaration of independence from spain within the next few days, following last weekend's disputed referendum. reports from catalonia have suggested that the president may opt for a purely statement when he addresses the catalan parliament on tuesday. howevery in a tv interview to be broadcast later — carles puidgment says he will abide by the referendum results. the mixed messages come as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of barcelona, in support of unity with spain. tom burridge reports from the catalan capital. when the unity of spain is at stake, this happens. people vehemently against catalonia breaking away. today in barcelona, there were probably more spanish flags than when this country won the football world cup. we want to say we all love catalonia

and we are one country. we love spain and it is just one. we understand we have a problem, the relationship between spain and catalonia, but this is not the way to solve it. government in catalonia. people like this person called for the leader of catalonia to be arrested. born in malaga, barcelona has been her home for 50 years. "i'm here to defend this country for my children and grandchildren." big business has come out on their side. two banks which fuelled the powerful economy say they are moving their head offices elsewhere.

richard cotterill has lived and done business in barcelona for several years. i am married to a catalan and my daughters were born here and i have a close link to the city. the spaniards love the catalans, it is not about this feeling that there is a small group of catalans who feel that this is a state where no one loves them, it is nonsense. for her and the spanish government, the country's constitution is under attack. in a newspaper interview, the spanish prime minister said he would if necessary take control of the catalonia government. translation: they should know that my government will make sure that any declaration of independence has no meaning. spain will continue to be spain and it will remain that way for a long time.

it is pretty confusing in terms of the signals we are getting. what is your best guess as to whether we'll get a declaration this week? well, my guess will be that indeed in the next few days there is going to be a declaration of independence unless there is a serious effort at getting a dialogue going between the two parties, which i would very much hope we would see, to get the two parties at the table. so far the calls of the catalan regional government to engage in such a dialogue has been refused by the spanish central government but i would very much hope that this could be averted. what is the legal position in terms of catalan being able to declare independence in a

vote that madrid doesn't recognise as lawful? well, there is a difficulty under the spanish constitution, the spanish constitution, the spanish constitution declares it unlawful but other things to consider, the cata la n but other things to consider, the catalan will he galities and also international law and right to self—determination of peoples, that in principle, you give people the right to determine their own future. that's what the catalans rely upon and certainly they have point in saying they want to at least able to form a collective view of where the people of catalonia is going and thatis people of catalonia is going and that is being prevented by them not being able to hold a referendum on that question. well, it is a tricky are issue on international law. there is no rule that determines who can declare a new state. typically

statehood is determined by the recognition practices. and of other states and the question of whether a new government can establish rule over the effective territory. now whether it is going to happen as a matter of act in this case, whether catalonia is going to be able to established effectiveness of institutions in catalonia and also the population there. what about the international community? the eu has supported madrid firmly but other countries perhaps a bit more nuanced in what they've said. the eu has surprisingly retweeted that it was an internal issue of spain and precisely because it is no longer a clu b precisely because it is no longer a club of sovereign states as an international organisation used to be but as far as principles of human dome crass sane the likes that reach into the different member states. and here we have an issue that's very much about democratic

participation and the democratic expression of will. i'm surprised the eu has been distant about the whole process. other countries have declared more sympathy. some countries like switzerland have offered mediation. so, there is obviously more movement there than the stance of the eu suggests. fascinating, thank you very much for joining us thank you very much. now, north korea's supreme leader, kim jong north korea's supreme leader, kim jong un has given his centre more power by promoting her to the nation's top decision—making body. kim yojong — who's 28 years old — will replace her aunt in the politburo. our asia—pacific editor, michael bristow has more. over the weekend, kim jong un over the weekend, kimjong un paid homage to his father and grandfather. both led the country before hi.d it was a reminder that ruling north korea, since it was founded in 1948 has been a family affair. to reinforce that point, mr

kim used a party meeting to promote his younger sister, kim yojong kim yojong. she's his younger sister, kim yojong kim yo jong. she's not his younger sister, kim yojong kim yojong. she's not yet his younger sister, kim yojong kim yo jong. she's not yet 30 his younger sister, kim yojong kim yojong. she's not yet 30 and only started appearing regularly three yea rs started appearing regularly three years ago but she's already thought to be in charge of her broth r brother's public aexperiences. it's unclear how much power she'll wield from hooind the scenes but she'll be aware that being part of the ruling family does not necessarily offer lifetime protection. kim jong family does not necessarily offer lifetime protection. kimjong un had his aungle, once a trusted advisor at the centre of power, executed in 2013. and north korean agents are thought to have been behind the assassination of their leader's half brother, who had living in exile. he was killed at a nerve agent at this malaysian airport earlier this year. north korea's attempts to build a nuclear—tipped missile has brought about an international crisis, as pyongyang faces down its neighbours in the united states, and kim yo jong in the united states, and kim yo jong has come to prominence at a

dangerous time for her family and her country. the us vice president mike pence has walked out of a national football league match, after some players knelt during the national anthem. he was attending an indianapolis colts game, in his home state of indiana, when more than 20 players of the san francisco 49ers knelt during the star—spangled banner. mr pence then left the stadium, saying neither he or president donald trump would dignify any event that disrespects american soldiers, the flag or the anthem. well, mr trump said in the past that players who knelt during the national anthem should be sacked. and he was quick to tweet about this latest incident, saying: "i asked vp pence to leave the stadium if any players kneeled. i am proud of him and the second lady karen." more stories making the news this

hour: reports from syria say heavy fighting is taking place in and around the town of mayadin in the east of the country. it's one of the last strongholds of the so—called islamic state group. the syrian army and allied forces have reportedly encircled the town. heavy rainfall is spreading inland in the southern us as the nate storm system makes landfall. it's weakened to become a tropical depression, although the storm is still bringing strong winds and flooding along the gulf coast. nate is the fourth major storm to strike the united states in less than two months. the death toll from two massive explosions in ghana has risen to six people. a natural gas depot exploded in the capital, accra, sending a huge fireball into the sky. the blaze started at the depot and then spread to a petrol station across the road. 35 people have been injured, some with burns. the iraqi army along with shia militias have driven so—called islamic state fighters form the city of hawija, one of the last enclaves of the militant group in the country. since the military operation.

thousands of civilians have fled the city, including hundreds of men who are thought to be is fighters. the bbc‘s feras kilani has met some of them in the northern gunshots that from kirkuk. stay with us, much more ahead: the power of the sun as 50 solar vehicles race across australia. the former prime minister, sirjohn major, has weighed into the debate over theresa may's future, calling conservatives who try to undermine her, ‘self—absorbed and disloyal‘. mrs may has admitted her speech at the party conference last week was ‘uncomfortable' for her, but says she's ‘resilient‘, and determined to carry on in the job. the former deputy prime minister, lord heseltine, has called on her to reassert her authority. the present situation is unsustainable.

she can either, so to speak, retract and abandon brexit, but the party will not let her do that, so there is only one alternative, to go forward and attack. that seems to me inevitable. it would mean a reshuffle. high—profile, very dangerous, because you create more enemies by a reshuffle. she will find it extremely difficult to divert the media and the gossip away from brexit. this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines: there are conflicting signals on whether catalans will declare independence this week amid protests from those who say no to independence and want national unity. the north korean leader, kimjong—un

has strengthened his grip on power and promoted his younger sister within the ruling workers' party. more from the us and that story with vice—president, mike spence. laura bicker is in washington. fairly unusual images there of mike pence leaving the game, although it has been a big, running row in the last few months. it should have come as no surprise to the vice—president that half of the indianapolis colts would kneel during the national anthem, as they have done so in the last three weekends that they have played. now what is going on here is that african—american players are kneeling during the national anthem to protest at what they say is an injustice that they face, most predominantly from police in this country. it is a protest that has ignited debate across the united states. and it is a protest that has continued. when it first started, donald trump tweeted that league owners, owners of these teams should

fire the players involved but since then, even more people have taken part. well, today the vice president was supposed to be visiting the game. he stood for the national anthem you but tweeted his response saying "i left told's colts' game because president trump and i will not dignify any events that disrespects our soldiers, flag or national anthem." president trump later tweeted that he had asked the vice—president to leave the game if there was any kneeling and, of course, he did so. some have suggested, considering the press pool that follow the vice—president around, they were told to stay in their car, because the game, or because mike pence might leave early. some have suggested this was a stunt by the vice president but he says he had to leave because of the kneeling and because it disrespects the national an them. those who protest say they are doing so, because they want the president to

listen to their concerns and they feel that he is not. well, there is also, lawyeria, been an internal twitter spat within the republican party today, talk us through that, pretty extraordinary tweets. this is an extraordinary row. it comes from an extraordinary row. it comes from a moderate republican, but a moderate republican who has decided not to seek re—election. it started with bob corker who has been quite vocally critical of the president over the last few months. this morning president trump tweeted that he was an embarrassment and then bob corker tweeted this. he said "it's a shame the white house has become an aduu shame the white house has become an adult day care centre, someone obviously missed their shift this morning." and donald trump, obviously never one to hold back on twitter? no, when it comes to twitter, the president does certainly like those 150 characters or less and he said that bob corker

had begged him for re—election. or less and he said that bob corker had begged him for re-election. 0k laura, thank you very much. much more ahead in the coming days from you i'm sure. thank you for now. now let's move on. cuba has been marking the fiftieth anniversary of the death of the revolutionary leader che guevara. the commemorations took place in santa clara, the city where he led rebels to victory in a decisive battle of the cuban revolution. the bbc‘s will grant was there. this ceremony began with che guevara's old friend raul castro laying a white rose at his tomb. followed by an excerpt from the original speech made by fidel castro in 1967, announcing that che guevara had died. throughout it has been a solemn ceremony, although it has a large presence of schoolchildren — there is an emphasis on youth when one speaks of che guevara in cuba. they have been repeating the slogan, "we will be like che". a key part of the cuban

education system. dignitaries, comrades who fought alongside him, members of his family. they all see him as a hero, as an example to youth in cuba and around the world. not everybody sees it that way. his critics see him as a man who was bloodthirsty and cruel. however, saying that here today is sacrilege for these people. they see him simply as a hero. we have the sport now. thank you very much. we start with football. germany are on the verge of making it a perfect ten from ten in world cup qualifying as they lead azerbaijan in kaiserslauten. leon goretzka scored the opener after just nine minutes while northern ireland, whatever the result in their match will qualify as one of the betst runners up. in group e poland qualified top with two late goals secuting them with two late goals securing them a 11—2 win at home to montenegro

while runners uip denmark drew 1—1 with romania. the biggest loser in group f was scotland who after leading 1—0 at half time fell to a 2—2 draw away to slovenia, meaning they miss out on a play—off place, while slovakia finished second on goal difference after a 3—0 win over malta, and england who had already qualified, were 1—0 winners in lithuania after a harry kane first half penalty. egypt had an untoo muchable four—point lead over uganda with one round of fixtures remaining. as you have been hearing, now to the nfl where united states vice president mike pence walked out of the stadium prior to the match between the indianapolis colts and san francisco 49ers following a protest by players while colts players stood arm—in—arm, more than 20 of the 49ers players knelt during the song as they have for weeks as players protest racial injustice and social inequality.

vice president pence tweeted that he "will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag, or our national anthem." to tennis now: rafael nadal secured his sixth title of the year with a clinical straight sets win over australia's nick kyrgios in the china open final. kyrgios matched nadal initialy but at 2—2 he received a penalty point for arguing with the umpire and his game disintegrated, while nadal moved through the gears, the spaniard taking the first set 6—2. the world number one dropped just one game in the second to close out an emphatic victory. the last time he won this tournament was back in 2005. also in beijing caroline garcia made it back to back titles and moved a step closer to securing her place in the season ending wta tour finals in singapore. the french woman beat the new world number one simona halep, in a gruelling final. garcia took the first set with a late break when the score was 5—4 in her favour. and she took a second set tie break to seal the victory and her triumph means that yohanna konta could now miss out on a place on that season ending tournament. tyrrell hatton became the first man to successfully defend the alfred dunhill links championship thanks to a three shot victory

at st andrews on sunday. ross fisher was his main challenger on the final day and, although he failed to reel in hatton, he did set a new old course record of 61 on an historic day for the european tour hatton became the first player in the 17—year history of the dunhill links to successfully defend the title in a tournament played over three scottish courses — the old course, kingsbarns and carnoustie. his aggregate score of 24—under was a tournament record. it was amazing. i'm so happy. today felt like a tough day, although i scored very well. it was fairly nerve wrecking at the end. obviously fish had a fantastic round and pushed me all the way. and we'll finish with the news that lewis hamilton won the japanese grand prix on sunday morning. teams from around the world are competing in an 18 hundred mile solar powered car race across australia. the world solar challenge aims to showcase technology that could one day be used

in commercially available cars. the race starts nor darwin and ends in adelaide. last—minute checks for the 3,000 kilometre race from the top of australia to the bottom. 41 teams, mostly australia to the bottom. 41 teams, m ostly fro m australia to the bottom. 41 teams, mostly from universities and big business but also some high schools are competing to see who has the best solar—powered vehicle. are competing to see who has the best solar-powered vehicle. the field is so far apart. all the cars look different. all we know is we have a good car, we have it running perfectly in the last couple of days and we are confident we'll do everything it takes to win. end everything it takes to win. end every two years, its event organisers want to to inspire the brightest young people on the plan tote help develop sustainable transport overtaking takes a lot of energy we would otherwise not want to use. we feel very happy to be in third where we don't have to overta ke third where we don't have to overtake that many cars leaving darwin. it is a gruelling journey from darwin in the north, to

adelaide on the south coast, travelling across the dry, hot, unwelcoming outback. the vehicles must almost entirely use the sun or energy defriefd their own movement. they are allowed a small battery but it can't be replaced unless the vehicle breaks down. travelling by day only the race is expected to ta ke day only the race is expected to take a week with most cars reach willing sfeeds of 90 to 100 kilometres an hour. the fastest time was in two,0009 by a jp niece university. the feastest cars are expected to reach adelaide on thursday. is that the future, i wonder. let me remind you of our top story. it is not clear whether catalonia will go ahead with a full declaration from spain in the next few days after last weekend's disputed referendum. reports from spain is that the

catalonia president will announce a statement but stop short of announcing fullp independence. we have much more on the website. thank you for watching. goodbye. in other parts of the british isles, there was indeed a lot of cloud around. no rain here off the suffolk cost. a close—run thing. showers to be had a little further offshore overnight. we'll reinforce the cloud across scotland. weak weather fronts dragging rain across the heart of scotla nd dragging rain across the heart of scotland and pushing towards the northern isles. a lot of cloud generally across the british isles, so not a cold night or a cold start to the new week. fairly

disappointing fayre first up across parts of scotland. weather front here and enough cloud for the odd bit and piece of rain on a not too strong south—westerly. for northern ireland, here, too, a bit of cloud around. the odd bit and piece of rain moving through the breeze but not amounting to much. the greater pa rt not amounting to much. the greater part of england and wales dry with brightness. although away towards the south—west, the clouds sitting low across the moors, so watch outer for hill fog and there will be drizzly rain here. that may well fade with time. the cloud trying to lift and a bit of brightness komingt through. you get the sensing generally, although there will be dry weather to the stat week across much of the british isles, sunshine will be a little bit patchy across the great the part of england, maybe wales, north of england, parts of scotla nd wales, north of england, parts of scotland fairing better. the cloud filling in across northern ireland to finish the day. i don't think there'll be great issues for the weather for the world cup qualifier

for wales and republic of ireland come monday evening. come tuesday, another set of weak weather fronts will tumble adown and across england and wales, dragging the prospect of rain with them. things brighten up nicely for the greater part of the day until we bring in the next set of weather fronts from the atlantic, to spoil the latter part of the afternoon through northern ireland and the western side of scotland. now these fronts do have a good deal more about them. you will notice the number of isobars, so the wind a feature of the day on wednesday, and if you are anywhere near that front, you will be seeing quite a bit of rain. so better and windy in the middle part of the week, rain at times for sure, bunce we get through all of that, towards the end of the week, things could turn warmer, especially in the south this is bbc news. the headlines: the regional government in catalonia is debating whether to delay the unilateral declaration

of independence that's been expected since a referendum last weekend. earlier, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in barcelona the north korean leader, kimjong—un, has promoted his younger sister to a position of greater power within the ruling workers' party. kim yo—jong, thought to be in her late twenties, has become a member of the party's politburo. the us vice—president, mike pence, has walked out of an american football game because some players knelt down during the national anthem. mr pence said he left the match because he would not dignify any event which showed such disrespect. a ceremony has been held in cuba to mark the 50th anniversary of the capture and death of the revolutionary, che guevara. president raul castro laid a white rose on his tomb.